Men's Basketball

Colorado head coach and former Kansas player Tad Boyle gets the attention of his team during the second half on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011 at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.

Advertisement

Kansas University point guard Tad Boyle and Oklahoma State floor general Bill Self met 10 times on the hardwood during their college basketball careers, which spanned from 1981-85.

Bragging rights went to .... neither player.

KU, coached by Ted Owens during Boyle’s first two years and Larry Brown the final two, and OSU, directed by Paul Hansen, went 5-5 in that span.

“Tad really liked it when they played Oklahoma State and I really liked it when we played Kansas because we were the only guys in the league slow enough to be able to guard. That’s a true story, not trying to be funny at all,” eighth-year KU coach Self said, cracking a smile.

The two guards — probably known for their shooting and ball-distribution more than their athleticism — will coach against each other for the second time today.

Self’s Jayhawks, who beat Boyle’s inaugural Buffs’ team, 82-78, on Jan. 25 in Boulder, will again meet the Buffs at 1 p.m. today in Allen Fieldhouse.

“I think Tad is a really good coach who has done a great job in the short amount of time he’s been there,” Self said. CU enters 16-10 overall and 5-6 in the league. KU is 24-2, 9-2. “He’s put his system around some good players. He’s going to do a great job there. I anticipate him being very successful there.”

Boyle — he started 34 games his first two seasons at KU, then came off the bench his final two seasons — played on two NCAA Tournament teams (1984, ’85) and was part of the 1984 Big Eight postseason tourney championship squad. He served as team captain his senior year, which was Danny Manning’s freshman season.

Rest assured, Boyle — who told CUBuffs.com he has “no preconceived expectations” about how he’ll be welcomed by KU fans today — figures to receive a loud ovation during pre-game introductions.

“I don’t know, it’s been so long since I’ve come out of the home locker room, it’s hard for me to remember,” he said, asked by CUBuffs.com how he’ll feel being in the visitor’s locker room. “I haven’t thought about it a lot, to be honest with you.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of memories that flow through my mind and body ... but right now I’m just thinking about how we can prepare our team as best we can to go in there and give them a battle.”

Boyle — he’s worked as head coach at Northern Colorado and as an assistant at Wichita State, Jacksonville State, Tennessee and Oregon — hasn’t been back to Allen Fieldhouse in a long time.

He attended a KU-Iowa State game “22 or 23 years ago. I’ve seen one game since I graduated, which is sad. But when you get into coaching, you’re hopping around and there’s not a lot time for trips to go back,” Boyle said.

Colorado, which has dropped 16 consecutive games to KU overall and 27 in a row in Lawrence, last won in Allen on Feb. 10, 1983. Boyle played for Kansas in that 75-74 setback.

“I remember Jay Humphries (CU guard) had a heck of a game ... he stole my ball at halfcourt. Other than that, I don't have a lot of recollection. But he ripped me at halfcourt, I do remember that,” Boyle told the CU Website.

Larry’s tree: Self and Boyle are both part of the Larry Brown coaching tree; Boyle playing for Brown and Self working as a graduate assistant on Brown’s 1985-86 KU staff.

“There are a lot of similarities (between the two),” Brown told the Denver Post. “The kids come first with both of them. Everybody looks at them as being really nice guys, but there’s a real toughness but fairness to both of them. Their values are the same. The program comes first. As talented as their kids may be, they have to learn to play the right way. That’s playing hard, playing unselfishly, making their teammates better, having respect for the game.”

Boyle told the Post he phoned Brown when Boyle decided to leave his job as a stockbroker to seek a career in coaching many moons ago.

“He told me that he didn’t have a lot of advice,” Boyle said, “but if my teams rebounded and played defense, I’d have a chance to win just about every night out.”

Period of rest: CU hasn’t played since last Saturday’s 58-56 home victory over Kansas State.

“I think it’s a great time for us,” Boyle said of the break, one in which point guard Nate Tomlinson has tried to bounce back from an ankle injury that’s kept him out two games. “Obviously, coming off two close games (including 73-70 overtime loss to Texas A&M; on Feb. 9 in Boulder), we were a little physically tired and maybe a little mentally tired as well. It comes at a good time, to get our batteries recharged.”

More like this story on KUsports.com

Comments

Greeley High, scoring machine, state award, one more try.
Off to college, spurn the Rockies, long blond hair, one more try.
Play four years, Owens and Brown, keep that smile, one more try.
Business major, “learned a lot,” high school sweetheart, one more try.
Commodities trader, KC ribs, basketball cries, one more try.
Back to Greeley, wins and losses, now in Boulder, one more try.
Surreal moment, on the other bench, now he’s the enemy
For one more try.

“Armed with degree, Boyle to tackle commodities business.” LJW, March 13, 1985. Author: Chuck Woodling.
“Let’s make one thing clear right out of the chute about Tad Boyle. He loves to play the game.
‘The thing I enjoy most about basketball,’ the Kansas guard smiled, ‘is going to a gym and playing for three or four hours…that’s probably what I’ll be doing when I leave here.’
As the lone senior on this year’s KU team, Boyle doesn’t have much time left in his college career. Six games at the most. Probably less. After that, well…pro basketball assuredly isn’t in his future, but the 6-4 blond does have plans. In fact, he already has a job.
Tad Boyle will walk down the Mount Oread hill in May, collect his business administration degree and launch a career as a commodities trader with a Kansas City firm this summer.
‘I want to see,’ he explained, ‘if I like it. There’s so much to learn. In fact, in my first year, I won’t be trading. I’ll be learning about everything from wheat and grain to silver and gold to lambs and pork bellies.’

Continued - “Armed with degree, Boyle to tackle commodities business.” LJW, March 13, 1985. Author: Chuck Woodling
Tad Boyle has already learned quite a bit in college, and not just in the classroom, either. You have to admire the guy. He stuck it out through the proverbial thick and thin during a four-year college basketball career that, based on what he did in high school, was a bust.
Boyle was Colorado high school basketball player of the year in 1981 after leading Greeley Central High to the large school prep championship. He averaged 23.4 points a game that season. The year before he’d led Colorado schoolboys in scoring with a 29.1 average.
Yet, at Kansas, Boyle has never averaged more than 1.4 points a game during his four seasons, and that was during his freshman year. He was a small forward type in high school, possessed of instinctive inside moves, who was converted to point guard – a position he was ill-equipped to handle because of average speed, ballhandling skills and shooting range.
In other words, at Kansas, he was a man without a position – too short to play inside, too slow and not enough shooter to play outside. Consequently, he struggled in his first couple of years here and the fans, aware of his prep credentials, sometimes booed him.

Continued - “Armed with degree, Boyle to tackle commodities business.” LJW, March 13, 1985. Author: Chuck Woodling
Yet Boyle hung on and here he is, content to operate within his limits, and serve as a role player off the bench.
‘I think I could have started at some other Div. 1 schools,’ he noted, ‘but there are so many good players at Kansas. I mean, I’ve seen guys who I played with in high school who aren’t as good and they’ve played at other places…like Stanford and Colorado. I may be wrong about that, but you never know.’
All in all, his basketball career at Kansas was a classic case of unfilled promise. But, hey, life goes on.
‘I certainly didn’t meet the expectations I set for myself,” Boyle confirmed. ‘But I learned a lot and that’s what you go to college for.’
Any regrets?
‘Well, I don’t know if it’s that as much as some second thoughts,’ he replied. ‘I know this…I don’t regret coming to Kansas.’ ”

Off subject of article...I was out with some old high school friends that are KSU alums and they said they got a letter from Frank Martin asking that they reach out to TRob and Jayla and to donate to the scholarship fund. Has anyone else heard about this? Maybe I heard wrong or I just had a few too many. Thank God for taxi's! Anywho...let me now if there is any truth to this cause that would be way cool of Frank.

Oakville, I will say my prayer for you again tonight for a full recovery. Sure miss your posts.

Don't forget to vote for Tyrel, send money to the scholarship fund and last but not least, love one another!

I ask you to join me in assisting KU forward Thomas Robinson and his young sister Jayla. The last month has dealt them some difficult times with the passing of their mother.

On the floor, KU and K-State are unbelievable competitors. However, in the game of life we are all in it together. I reach out to you for your help, to assist Thomas and Jayla in any way that you can by contributing to the Lisa Robinson Scholarship Fund. I’ve made my pledge. Please follow my lead and let’s help together.

Call the K-State men’s basketball office at 1.785.532.6531 for more details.

I don't know about the letters, but I did hear Coach Martin got on the microphone before the game Monday and asked for donations to Jayla's fund. They also posted information on the score board. Class act, too bad it didn't get any press.

My wife is a ksu alum and we've yet to see the letter from Frank. I've heard similar stories in regards to the letter...maybe the letter went out to season ticket holders...I don't know, but I'm sure the letter is real. Classy move by Frank.

Death to Colorado? Wow you guys really are bush league. That, along with the full page ad, is exactly why we are heading west to the newly formed PAC 12. You and your peers, Mizzou, K State and ISU, are just pawns in the Big Tex. You forfeited your cut of our exit fees to Big Tex and will continue to be the 'little 4' in the Big 12.

Have a good time, enjoy the new role as the two premier Universities (CU and NU) head for greener pastures.

Curious what the basketball mood was like on campus before '85 when I arrived. I came from the Chicago area and really knew little about the Jayhawks. Did they sell out? Was there discontent? I've often wondered.

Season tickets were readily available, although not the best quality, during the end of Ted Owens era. It was not uncommon to have only 10K in attendance for a league game during Ted's final season. iow, a significant # of season ticket holders bought tickets but did not show for many games.

As soon as Larry Brown was announced as the next Kansas coach, new season ticket orders spiked. You could still get season tickets for the 1984-85 season, but they were sold out in preparation for a memorable 1985-86 season. Pretty much ever since then too.

There was a lot of discontent with Ted on campus in the late '70s. Then, a lot of it had to do with being dominated and losing in unbelievable fashion to Kentucky a few times.

Then MU got consistently good with Sundvold and Stiponavich while OU was making noise as a consistent contender with Billy Tubbs at the helm. Ted never seemed willing to revamp his coaching methods. As a result, he was terminated by new AD Monte Johnson.

KU is going to come out fired up, but Boyle has a good game plan. Hawks are gonna be tested for 35 seconds on defense every time cu takes the ball down court. Focus well be tested......no breakdowns on defense as shot clock expires, please.
RCJGKU

This might not be too popular of a comment but here it goes. Reality is we cannot win the regular season title without a miracle. Why not bench any of the players who have injuries, Give our bench some playing time and confidence, and be healthy going into the Big 12 tourney and the NCAA? I suppose some will say we are still playing for the seed, but I would like to see a solid team at the tournaments than kids sitting out because they didn't get enough rest on it. (Shades of Kirk Hinrich)